Google and Garmin may team up to bring satellite texting to Android phones

Google has disclosed that Android 14 will enable two-way satellite communications on Android devices. However, the company is reportedly working with Garmin to offer satellite texting in emergency situations via the Google Messages app. A developer @neil_rahmouni discovered this feature in the code of the app’s latest version.

Garmin has several products that utilize Iridium’s Low Earth Orbit satellites for emergency texting. Google may use Garmin’s technology to incorporate this feature into its app.

Aside from this, Apple and Huawei have already introduced satellite-based emergency SOS features on their phones. Samsung was anticipated to follow suit with the Galaxy S23, but it postponed the feature until the Galaxy S24. Google may launch its satellite texting feature after the stable rollout of Android 14 in more than 150 countries.